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EMS in America can be traced back to the Civil War era. All military personnel had to be examined by medical officers to qualify for duty. Also, ambulances were assigned based on the size of the regiment. Each ambulance team was trained in patient care to take care of the soldiers better. In 1865 Cincinnati incorporated the first civilian ambulance. Then, in 1869, New York City advertised a 30-second response time and provided an Ambulance Surgeon and a quart of brandy for their patients!

During World War I, signal boxes were used by injured soldiers to assist medical teams in locating them in the field of battle. Medical groups also used electric, steam, and gasoline-powered carriages for transporting the injured. It was also the first war to utilize traction splints and other medical equipment.  After the war, civilian ambulances carrying surgeons were equipped with radio dispatchers to serve the community better.

The transition to what we know as the modern-day EMS started during the 1950s as an offshoot of 5 different types of businesses; towing operators, medical equipment companies, funeral homes, hospitals, and police/ fire departments. After many years of being unregulated, funeral homes began patient care and provided nearly half of the country’s ambulances.

In 1960 John F. Kennedy declared that “Traffic accidents constitute one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest, of the nation’s public health problems”. Then in 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson and the President’s Commission on Highway Safety/National Academy of Sciences declared the carnage “the neglected disease of modern society.” Soon after, the National Highway Traffic Safety Act was adopted, which standardized EMS training, promoted state involvement, encouraged community oversight, recommended radio communication, and stressed a single emergency number.

Other federal initiatives were implemented that further helped define the EMS program. In 1972 the Heath Services and Mental Health Administration under the Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare became the lead agency for EMS.  Also, the Physician Responder Program was implemented, which later morphed into paramedic programs and led to close physician supervision.

1973 brought about the EMS Systems Act. The DHEW established 300 EMS systems throughout the country. The Department of Transportation adapted training curricula for EMT, EMT P, and first responders. Public Law 93-154 established new rules for EMS radio communications. General Services Administration also introduced ambulance specifications. The next step came in 1981 with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which consolidated funding into state preventive health block grants, eliminated funding under EMSS Act, reduced compliance with federal guidelines, and abolished the federal lead agency.

In 1996 the EMS Agenda for the Future was drafted, which connected the EMS with the other medical professions. That same year the EMS Education Agenda for the Future was drafted, which provided recommendations for Core content, Scope of practice, and Certification of EMS professionals.

EMS TODAY

It has been nearly four decades since President Lyndon Johnson’s Committee on Highway Traffic Safety recommended the creation of a national certification agency to establish uniform standards for the training and examining personnel active in the delivery of emergency ambulance service. The result of this recommendation was the inception of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) in 1970. 

            Since that time, pre-hospital emergency medical care has continually evolved and improved. The EMT has been acknowledged as a bonafide health care team member. Excellent training programs have been developed, and a strong focus has been placed on continuing education. National standards have been established. Ambulance equipment essentials have been set. National accreditation of paramedic programs has been achieved, and professional associations for the EMT have been organized. 

Source for the history of EMS 

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By THE MORNING CALL

PUBLISHED: October 2, 1990 at 4:00 a.m. | UPDATED: October 3, 2021 at 1:46 a.m.

The Penn Mahoning Ambulance Association has 45 dedicated volunteers, three ambulances and a newly acquired three-bay garage that will become the group’s first headquarters.

“This building means that we will be prepared to have an EMT (emergency medical technician) on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if needed,” said Don Handwerk, treasurer of the association.

The Penn-Mahoning group currently stations its ambulances in two locations: two at the Mahoning Valley Fire Company, near Normal Square, and one at the Andreas Volunteer Fire Company No.1 in Andreas. The recently purchased garage is on Route 309 in West Penn township, about five miles from the Andreas location.

The group had a third location in New Ringgold, but some of the New Ringgold area volunteers formed their own group about a year ago. That left the Penn Mahoning group without a base from which to serve their northwestern territory.

The association also needed more space for storage and to organize its office equipment and paperwork. Another important reason for the new building is to provide an ambulance closer to those crew members who live in the New Ringgold area.

The association serves an area of more than 108 square miles, including parts of south Tamaqua, the Mahoning Valley and East and West Penn townships.

Incorporated in 1968, the group was originally headquartered in the Mahoning Valley. As the service area grew in population, the association decided about four years ago to house one of the ambulances at the Andreas location to provide faster service to the Andreas and New Ringgold areas.

The crews handle approximately 25 emergencies a month, according to volunteer Mark Hayman.

“We cover a lot of heavily traveled roads: Routes 309, 443 and 895. The back roads, with all their twists and hills and sharp turns, make accidents much more likely,” said Hayman, one of the group’s 20 emergency medical technicians.

The association’s ability to respond quickly to emergencies has grown along with the area’s needs. advanced life support units — paramedic-based ambulance crews equipped with sophisticated medical technology — are dispatched from Gnaden Huetten Hospital in Lehighton to meet the Penn-Mahoning ambulance crew either en route or at the scene to assist with severe cardiac or respiratory emergencies.

“We usually call Gnaden Huetten because it’s so much closer, although the unit from Good Samaritan Hospital in Pottsville is also available to us,” said Handwerk.

Financial help in the form of donations from the Andreas Volunteer Fire Company No.1, its auxiliary, the West Penn and Mahoning Lion’s clubs and individuals recently enabled the group to purchase their third ambulance for about $50,000. The association stands by at the Mahoning Valley Speedway each Saturday evening for $200 per month, which also helped with the purchase.

The three-bay garage was purchased from Norman Schaeffer of New Ringgold for $30,000. The garage will be refurbished to include a septic system and a “quarter-room,” where crew members can wait for calls.

The ambulance association volunteers will do most of the remodeling work in order to keep expenses low but will contract out for the septic system and other jobs. The association pays about $5,000 per year in malpractice and other insurance, according to Handwerk.

The group plans to begin work as soon as the blueprints are approved by the township. The Penn-Mahoning Ambulance Association works closely with the Andreas and Mahoning Valley fire companies, as well as other emergency organizations.

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Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide Facts and Stats

• The dangers of CO exposure depend on several variables, including the victim’s health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body’s ability to use oxygen (i.e., emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.
• A small amount of CO can poison a person over a more extended period or a large amount of CO over a shorter time.
• In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 80,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of nine such calls per hour.  The number of incidents increased 96 % from 40,900 incidents reported in 2003. This increase is most likely due to the increased use of CO detectors, which alert people to the presence of CO.

Downloadable Resources

• Portable Generators and Winter Storms: Tips
• Carbon Monoxide Safety: Did you know?

Know the Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include:

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Dizziness

Quick Tips on Carbon Monoxide Safety

Share these graphics with your family and friends! We encourage you to print these and also share them on social media.

Source for Content: National Fire Protection Association and U.S. Fire Administration

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Smoke Alarm Facts and Stats

• In 2009-2013, smoke alarms sounded in more than half (53%) of the home fires reported to U.S. fire departments.
• Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms (38%) or no working smoke alarms (21%).
• The death rate per 100 reported home fires was twice as high in homes with no working smoke alarms compared to the speed with working smoke alarms (1.18 deaths vs. 0.53 deaths per 100 fires).
• In fires where smoke alarms were present but did not operate, almost half (46%) of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries.
• Dead batteries caused one-quarter (24%) of the smoke alarm failures.

Downloadable Resources

• Up In Smoke Handout
• Hear the Beep Where You Sleep
• Don’t Wait- Check the Date!

Smoke Alarm Safety- Everything You Need to Know

• A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home.
• Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
• There are two kinds of alarms. Ionization smoke alarms are quicker to warn about flaming fires. Photoelectric alarms are quicker to warn about smoldering fires. It is best to use both types of alarms in the home.
• When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
• Replace all smoke alarms in your home every ten years.
• Smoke alarms are not expensive and are worth the lives they can help save.
• A  smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm. A smoke alarm only works when it is properly installed and regularly tested. Take care of your smoke alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

For more information and resources on Smoke Alarms, check out our Smoke Alarm FAQs!

Quick Tips to Share

Spread the word by sharing these graphics with your family and friends! We encourage you to print these and also share them on social media. On your Desktop browser, click on any image to load the Large version, then right-click to “Save image as….”

Source for Content:  U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association 

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Every day, our nation’s firefighters, EMTs/paramedics, state troopers, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, tow operators, and departments of transportation responders are exposed to the grave hazards inherent in emergency responses on the nation’s highways and roadways.

LEARN MORE

Resources and Videos

• Certified TIM Technician Study Guide
• Highway Lane Designations & Terminology
• Traffic Incident Management Area Reference Diagram and Emergency Responder Checklist

• Move it
• Slow Down Move Over
• Leave Your Phone Alone
• It’s No Picnic Out Here
• Be Right, Be Bright

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Remember to Check Your Fire Extinguisher for:

• Easy access in an emergency- be sure nothing is blocking or limiting your ability to reach it.
• The recommended pressure level- many extinguishers have gauges that show when pressure is too high or too low.
• Working parts- make sure the can, hoses, and nozzles aren’t damaged, dented, or rusted.
• Cleanliness- remove any dust, oil, or grease on the outside of the extinguisher.
• Guidelines and instructions- some extinguishers must be shaken monthly, and others must be pressure tested every few years.

When to Use a Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers can be helpful on a small fire. Below is a checklist to help you prepare to use a fire extinguisher.

• Have I alerted others in the building that there’s a fire?
• Has someone called the fire department?
• Am I physically able to use a fire extinguisher?
• Is the fire small and contained in a single object (like a pan or a wastebasket)?
• Am I safe from the fire’s toxic smoke?
• Do I have a clear escape route?

Use a fire extinguisher when all these questions are answered “yes.” If you’re unsure about whether or not it’s safe to use a fire extinguisher, and for all other situations, alert others, leave the building, and call 911 from a mobile or neighbor’s phone. It is not recommended that children use fire extinguishers.

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

When operating a fire extinguisher, tell remember the word PASS.

• Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you and release the locking mechanism.
• Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
• Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

More Fire Extinguisher Tips

• For the home, select a multi-purpose extinguisher (which can be used on all types of home fires) that is large enough to put out a small fire but not so heavy as to be challenging to handle.
• Choose a fire extinguisher that carries the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• Please read the instructions for the fire extinguisher and become familiar with its parts and operation before a fire breaks out. Local fire departments or fire equipment distributors often offer hands-on fire extinguisher training.
• Install fire extinguishers close to an exit and keep your back to a clear exit when you use the device so you can easily escape if the fire cannot be controlled. If the room fills with smoke, leave immediately.

Source for Content: National Fire Protection Association and U.S. Fire Administration

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Stop the Bleed, Save a Life.

• CALL 911
• APPLY PRESSURE WITH HANDS
• APPLY DRESSING AND PRESS
• APPLY TOURNIQUET

Did You Know…

Minutes count! Someone severely bleeding can bleed to death in as little as 5 minutes.

Downloadable Resources

Why you should get trained
Find a course
Save a Life flowchart 
Stop the Bleed poster

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The AHA is a worldwide leader in first aid, CPR, and AED training – educating more than 22 million people globally in CPR each year.

LEARN MORE

Click on a graphic below to view the steps of Hands-Only CPR.

CPR Facts & Statistics

• In one year alone, 475,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest.
• The 2017 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics state that among the 356,000 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests that occurred, 45.7% (or 46%) received bystander CPR.

• More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year.
• According to 2014 data, nearly 45 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survived when bystander CPR was administered.

TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW

Out-of-hospital Chain of Survival

A strong Chain of Survival can improve the chances of survival and recovery for victims of cardiac arrest. There are 6 links in the adult out-of-hospital Chain of Survival.

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